Friday, September 26, 2014

Dengue outbreak at Chestnut Avenue… due to construction site?

Dengue cases are going up again, with 402 last week. The total number of dengue cases this year had crossed the 15,000 mark on 20 September.

Three people have died of dengue since the start of this year, with the latest being an 81-year old woman who lived at Serangoon North Avenue 1 on 13 September. In 2013, there were 22,000 dengue cases and seven died.

The cluster was formed around 15 August with two cases at Chestnut Avenue. Then, the number of cases increased to 36 (2 September) and the latest count is 72 (24 September). All these based on the data collected from NEA’s website.

The 2014 satellite imagery from Google Earth shows that there is a construction site at Chestnut Avenue.

The total number of cases in the Bukit Panjang cluster is 120. Besides the 72 cases at Chestnut Avenue, the rest are reported in the HDB residential area at Petir Road. The block nearest to Chestnut Avenue, Block 201 Petir Road, is the second highest in the cluster at 16 cases.

Dengue is also reported in nearby Almond Avenue, forming a new cluster with four cases around 19 September.

This year, NEA had issued 49 Stop Work Orders, and 13 contractors have been prosecuted in Court for repeat offences.

How many of those 72 dengue cases at Chestnut Avenue were construction workers? Did NEA detect any mosquito breeding at the construction site? If yes, has NEA taken any enforcement action against the contractor?